MLK weekend. One of the advantages of working for a college is getting all the federal holidays off. Maybe I should have worked for a Jewish college and I'd get even more days off. Anyway, I flew into Raleigh for a two day getaway. With my mother gone in Portugal on a work symposium, I couldn't bear the thought of three days in that cold house without my computer. So I decided to head south and scout out the area.
In total, I was in town for about 30 hours and the vast majority of my trip consisted of driving and touring apartment complexes. So I'm just going to touch on ten keystones of those 30 hours.
1) One of the big parts of this trip was that I rented my first car alone. It was a silver Toyota Corolla and I was quite pleased with it, especially for $47 total. It drove smoothly, gave me great gas mileage, and the audio controls were very easy to figure out. The only surprise was when I got an email alerting me that Dollar had charged me $350 on my credit card. I don't know if that's standard practice with all rental companies, but the guy behind the counter could've told me that my card would incur that kind of charge.
2) Speaking of things I did for the first time, I spent most of Saturday afternoon exploring apartments. I think I visited eight complexes and there were only three that I'd rule out immediately, whether because of cost or because of poor service. They have a lot of the same amenities: gyms of various levels, social events, pools, and washers and dryers. Closet space definitely varies from place to place. After going from a walk in to basically a reach in, I definitely want room for some clothes.
It's tough to imagine myself in a studio apartment, especially if I was to have a guest over. The space just feels so limited. Now I don't own a ton of stuff, but it's hard to see it all fitting in such a tiny space. A one bedroom would work well for me, but mom seems pretty insistent on a two bedroom. But once the job comes, then I'll be able to decide what fits my budget.
As for location, I really focused on North Raleigh. I think six or seven of the complexes were focused on that area. I did visit a downtown tower, which was pretty cool, especially with an outdoor swimming pool on the top deck. I have to admit, it does appeal to me.
3) Onto food. It's amazing I've typed this much without refrencing grub, isn't it? My first stop was the Roast Grill in downtown Raleigh. This classic hot dog joint has been around since 1940. I loved the interior. Lots of coke memorabilia and some classic NC State artifacts. Also, a big sign that clearly forbids ketchup. That's an automatic four stars minimum review for me. And the space is tiny, with eight barstools and three wooden tables pressed against the wall.
The menu is pretty straightforward. All they serve is charred hotdogs and soft drinks. I had two dogs, with yellow mustard, raw onion, chili, and vinegar cole slaw. First of all the buns are steamed perfectly, so they're warm and fluffy. The dogs are 90% beef, with just a little pork, and they're charred on an old, and I do mean old, flat top. One of my main complaints with Chicago dogs is they are steamed. I prefer a nice crunch and snap on the outside of my dog. Roast Grill gets it right. No ingredient overwhelms any other. I'm not the biggest fan of chili on a hot dog, but it did add a punch. And the coke is only a dollar for an eight ounce glass bottle. All I paid was $6.50, which is a bargain in my book. Cash only. And I was surprised Chase bank isn't in North Carolina, so that left me using my cards for most of the trip.
Around the corner was State of Beer. I was surprised it was the only location that they have. Basically it is one long bar and there are nine or ten unique beers on tap with a beer market behind the customers. Also they have an extensive LP record collection. They were playing BB King: Live from Cook County Jail. That is so much cooler than standard pop music. I drank an Indian pale lager from Trophy brewing. It was straw like in color, but very enjoyable and smooth.
4) I wanted to visit the State Capitol, which is a priority whenever I visit a capital. This one was really simple. The highlight in the main foyer wasn't the state seal, it was a statue of George Washington. They had the meeting rooms for the House and Senate as well as a replica of a vintage bookstore. But after about ten minutes, I was done. Oh, there was one jerk in a Patriots shirt who I really wanted to flip off.
5) I'd been awake since 2 am and taken two flights that morning. After four hours of apartment hunting, I needed a recharge in the worst way. I stayed in a hotel called Extended Stay. Now I didn't choose this hotel, it was an express deal on priceline. And it was cheap, $50 for the night. It may have been the most decrepit hotel I've ever stayed in. Let's run down the reasons, shall we. It's one of those outdoor villas, so I had to drive to my room and carry my bag upstairs. And right under that stairway are the filled garbage cans. Great image guys!
Also, there's no gym. Not even a treadmill or a dumbbell. Well there are dumbbells, but they manage the place. Used tissue under my bed. Cockroach on my blanket. A freaking cockroach. Safe to say I did not keep that blanket on my bed. I don't know if other Extended Stays are like this, but I'm not about to find out.
6) After an hour charging my devices and cleaning up, I headed to the PNC Center. I was going to visit Cowfish for a sushi burger, but there was no parking to be had. So it was straight to the hockey game between the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders. Of course, as I parked, I found myself right behind the Islanders tailgate. I was wearing a blue Rangers shirt, but no one said anything. At least not to my face.
In the arena, it was Star Wars night. So the intros had that theme, and the characters were taking pictures with fans. I've never seen the movies, so it meant nothing to me. And I saw the single most embarrassing thing I've ever seen at a hockey game: fans doing the wave. The wave has no place in any pro sport, especially hockey. There was also one season ticket holder right behind me wearing a Whalers jersey blowing one of those long horns. I swear the hearing in my left ear went out for a second. The game was certainly entertaining as the Hurricanes rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the second period to blow the Brooklynders out 7-4. Of course, I got in the car just in time to hear the Rangers give up three goals in 26 seconds in Montreal.
7) Onto Sunday. I checked out of the hotel as quickly as could and drove to NC State University. I just wanted to explore the campus. I'd have gotten a shirt, but the only good one was in the airport for $25. Me thinks not. I had found Hope community church on an online search. I have to say I was quite impressed. It's a good sized church, not too big or small. And the staff was quite welcoming to me, with smiles and handshakes.
The message from pastor Mike was really on point. This church has made a point to have a very racially diverse church and they've made progress. But he challenged the congregation to reflect where their hearts really were. He asked a very simple but hard question. Who's on your hate list? He mentioned so many categories of people that we don't like, even if we don't want to admit it. Not just skin color and political parties. He mentioned things like single parents, northern and southern people, homeschooling parents, meat eaters, skinny vs fat people, etc. Very poignant, especially on Martin Luther King weekend.
8) I needed some time to reflect and to just get some quiet. So I went to Umsted Park, a very large park, which for whatever reason, is right by the airport. I hiked a trail called Sal's bend, 3.8 miles of hilly terrain marked by orange circles. I believe I walked Hogan there a couple of times back in 2002 and 2003.
9) My main Sunday meal was at The Pit in downtown Raleigh. They boast that they serve Carolina whole hog BBQ. I started with a back porch tea with sweet tea vodka, raspberry liquer, and lemonade. I thought seven bucks was a good deal until it came out in a tiny sipping glass. I ordered a double combo with chopped BBQ (pork), brisket, beans, and fried okra. The pork was amazingly tender. I'm not a big fan of the vinegar based eastern sauce, but I could taste the apple cider flavor in it and it worked very well. The brisket was fine, but could have used more seasoning. I give them for having both eastern and western BBQ sauce at the table. The sides were just fine. I'd never had fried okra, but this was really good. Although if you deep fry a vegetable, does it still count as a vegetable? The beans were decent, but not good enough to where I'd need to order them every time. Their banana pudding had nothing on mine. Too much meringue, not enough banana flavor. But for $28, it was a good deal.
10) I passed through Cary, where I used to live. I saw the old house in Cary that I lived in for two years. It's strange, I didn't remember any of the roads to get there, though Google had me take the back entrance. I didn't even remember the buildings were three levels high. I also went by Camp Canine where we used to take Hogan for overnight boarding. It definitely felt nostalgic, but I still felt like a stranger. There were only a couple of roads and street corners I remembered vividly: Maynard, High House, and Cary parkway.
Bonus: I took an earlier flight home than anticipated, and landed about three hours ahead of schedule. But going through security in Raleigh, a weird thing happened. I went through the full body scanner, the one where you look like you're under arrest. They held me up for two minutes. They asked to see my left ankle. Of all things, my left ankle. So I lifted the bottom of my jeans, exposing the New York Jets sock and I was on my way into the terminal.
